The present invention relates to a diesel internal combustion engine with an exhaust gas line system which is provided with a device for ionizing the soot particles carried along by the exhaust gas stream and with a device for separating the soot particles from the exhaust gas stream downstream of the ionizing device.
Such a diesel internal combustion engine is already disclosed in the DE-OS 35 00 375. However, it is disadvantageous in connection therewith that both the device for the ionization of the soot particles (coagulator) as also the device for the separation thereof requires large structural expenditures. Therebeyond, the power requirement of the coagulator series-connected ahead of the centrifugal separator is relatively large.
The present invention is therefore concerned with the task to provide a diesel internal combustion engine of the aforementioned type in which a soot separation is realizable with a minimum structural expenditure, and whose device for the ionization of the soot particles requires an only low power input.
The underlying problems are solved according to the present invention in that the device for the ionization of the soot particles is constructed as a light source emitting ultraviolet light.
The use of a light source emitting ultraviolet light represents a simple possibility for the ionization of the soot particles contained in the exhaust gas flow of a diesel internal combustion engine, whereby every exhaust gas line system can also be re-fitted with a UV lamp without larger structural expenditure. The same is true for an additional soot particle line, whereby an electric field is built up upstream of the branching place of the additional soot particle line from the exhaust gas line system. A further advantage of the ionization of the soot particles by means of ultraviolet light resides in that a UV lamp with a power input of the order of 3W-4W already completely suffices in order to be able to assure an effective ionization of the soot particles.